DATE: November 17, 2011
CONTACt: Starr Troup

Etruscan Press receives NEA grant to support a project to develop connections between authors and readers

Grant part of NEA announcement of 863 grants and $22.543 million in funding nationwide

Wilkes-Barre, PA; Youngstown, OH—Wilkes-Barre, PA; Youngstown, OH—The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Rocco Landesman today announced that the agency will award 863 grants to organizations and individual writers across the country. Etruscan Press is one of the grantees and will receive $7,500 to expand readership through marketing initiatives building upon the inherent synergy between authors and readers. The 863 grant awards total $22.543 million, encompass 15 artistic disciplines and fields, and support projects in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Etruscan Press’s project activities will include: creating an innovative web-based peer-mentorship program connecting authors directly to readers and other authors; expanding readership through interaction via social media; and bringing books to underserved populations through corporate connections and sponorship programs .

“Art Works is the guiding principle at the NEA,” said agency Chairman Rocco Landesman. “And I’m pleased to see that principle represented through the 823 Art Works-funded projects included in this announcement. These projects demonstrate the imaginative and innovative capacities of artists and arts organizations to enhance the quality of life in their communities.”

“We’re excited about the possibilities available to us through this grant,” said Etruscan’s managing editor Starr Troup. “My hope is that by engaging readers through author connections we enliven discussions about the world around us.”

In March 2011, the NEA received 1,686 eligible applications for Art Works requesting more than $84 million in funding. The resulting funding rate of 49 percent of eligible applications reflects both the significant demand for support and the ongoing vitality of the not-for-profit arts community despite current financial challenges. Art Works grants are awarded based on the applications received by the NEA and how those applications are assessed by the review panels.

For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, please visit the NEA web site at arts.gov.

Etruscan Press
bearing imagination

It may be the last day, but the conference hasn’t quite ended yet. Another look at what’s going on today in D.C.:

Panels

NOON in the Coolidge Room, Marriot Wardman park: Catch executive editor Phil Brady on the panel discussing the benefits of creative writing internships.
NOON Executive Room, Omni Shoreham Hotel, West Lobby: Advisory board member Michael Collier at the University of Maryland MFA Faculty Reading.

Poetry and Prizes, again!

10:00 p.m.-Midnight, Virginia B Room, Marriott Wardman Park, Lobby Level The All Collegiate Afterhours Slam.

What an exciting week for Etruscan Press and author Peter Grandbois. His novel Nahoonkara was just released on Feb. 1. And for those of you attending AWP, you now have the chance to say hello to Peter. You can stop by our booth for a special book signing and meet and greet with Peter and three more EP authors. Here’s what’s going on today in D.C.:

Special Book Signing

Peter Grandbois (Nahoonkara) @ 1 PM.
Myrna Stone (Casanova Chronicles) @ 1:30 PM
Carol Moldaw(So Late, So Soon) @ 2 PM
Claire Bateman (Coronology) @ 3 PM

Panels

3 PM in the Marshall Room, Wardman park: Catch Paul Lisicky (author of forthcoming novel The Burning House) too. He’s on the AWP panel on Off-Limit Subjects in Memoir.
3 PM Executive Room, Omni Shoreham Hotel, West Lobby: Venison author Thorpe Moeckel discusses book-length poems on AWP’s Audacity of Scope Panel.

Poetry and Prizes

10:00 p.m.-Midnight, Virginia B Room, Marriott Wardman Park, Lobby Level The All Collegiate Afterhours Slam.

2011 marks EP’s tenth anniversary, and what better way to kick it off than at the AWP conference in Washington, D.C. Here’s a look at what we’re doing today (Thursday), so if you’re here, you can catch us.

Thursday
Noon.-1:15 p.m
Hoover Room
Marriott Wardman Park, Mezzanine Level Managing Editor Starr Troup is on AWP panel on Technology for Low-Residency Writing Programs.

1:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m.
Maryland Suite Room
Marriott Wardman Park, Lobby Level Vermont College of Fine Arts 30th Anniversary Reading. (Robin Oliveira, Wally Lamb, Sydney Lea, Nin Andrews, Earl Braggs) A centerpiece celebration of the 30-year history as one of the first low-residency MFA in Writing Programs in the U.S.

Regency Ballroom
Omni Shoreham Hotel, West Lobby
1:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m.
How do writers approach and render sex believably and inventively in a society of sexual saturation? Our panel of fiction writers will analyze sexuality in their work across cultures, generations, and in relation to disability. EP authors Paul Lisicky and Carol Moldaw are on the panel.

10:00 p.m.-Midnight
Virginia B Room
Marriott Wardman Park, Lobby Level
R234. The All Collegiate Afterhours Slam. (Jim Warner, Philip Brady) The All Collegiate Afterhours Slam is open to all undergrad and grad students attending the conference. Prizes, judges, and organization of the event will be handled by Wilkes University Creative Writing Program and Etruscan Press. Come visit the Wilkes University /Etruscan Press booth to register.

Paul Lisicky is the author of The Burning House, a novel forthcoming in Spring 2011. This weekend Paul will share his publishing experience with other writers at Rosemont College’s “Push to Publish” conference in Rosemont, PA. Check out the full article on the Montgomery News website.

Also, take some time to explore Paul Lisicky’s author page on our website, and check out his blog for more upcoming events.

Nin Andrew’s recently interviewed Executive Editor Phil Brady on EP’s first ten years. Check it out here.

Alexis Stamatis: The Greek Mirror

SO LATE, SO SOON: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS, by Carol Moldaw, and THE CASANOVA CHRONICLES & OTHER POEMS, by Myrna Stone, are both now available.

VENISON, a book-length poem by Thorpe Moeckel, is now available.

We’re looking forward to the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference in Denver this month.

If you are planning on attending this annual literary event, come visit the Etruscan table (listed under Wilkes University). There will be an Etruscan reading on Thursday at 3:00 PM featuring Jennifer Atkinson, Bruce Bond, Michael Lind, Carol Moldaw, and J.D.Schraffenberger. Wilkes will host a reception on Thursday at 7:00 PM.